Category Archives: Mobile

According to recent advice from Google, there are generally three different configurations for optimizing websites for smartphones.

Responsive Web Design: Google’s preferred option. These are websites that can serve all devices with the same URLs, with each URL serving the same HTML to all devices. Stylesheet is used to change how the page is rendered on each of the various devices, so that all website content ‘fits’ to each screen at it’s optimum size for easy viewing and navigation, ensuring a better user experience. For example, www.WebShop.ie is a responsively designed website, so when when the site is viewed on smartphone or tablet, the URL and content remains the same but the design is optimized for smartphone and tablets. This is Google’s recommended configuration.

A second option are Websites that can dynamically serve all devices on the same set of URLs, however, each URL serves up a different design and HTML depending on whether the user is visiting from a desktop or a mobile device. For example, a website designed using Flash will only work on PCs, so if a user is accessing the website from a smartphone, a HTML version of the site will be served up to the user, although the URL remains the same for all devices.

The last option is to create two entirely separate versions of the website, with two different URLs. One version will be for use when viewed from a desktop or PC, and the other when viewed from a smartphone or tablet. For example mywebsite.ie and m.mywebsite.ie.

What does this mean for your website? Well, Google highly recommends that all websites be optimized for smartphones. Why? In order to ensure that your site visitors can navigate easily, minimising the risk of losing them to your competitors website which may be more user friendly. Google also recommend that your website is smartphone search engine friendly in order to be indexed and visible in Google mobile search results.

We recommend using responsive web design especially for businesses that would like to update content and blogs regulary so the same content can be used across all devices. Speak to one of our team for more information on 01 6755055 or email us at sales@webshop.ie.

In the last 3 years you will have noticed an increasing amount of individuals with their iPhone, smartphone or even tablet seemingly attached to their hip! There has been a dramatic increase in web users that access the internet via mobile devices such as iPads, Tablets and Mobile Phones and Smartphones. No longer is it confined to the humble PC user. As a result, if you have a website that is not responsive for iPad, Tablet and Mobile, you are increasing the chances of your visitors leaving quickly and navigating their way to your competitor’s, which may well be fully responsive and therefore easier for them to use. The future is mobile friendly websites.

85% said mobile devices are a central part of everyday life and 90% of those aged 18-24 agreed. **

On average, respondents report spending 3.3 hours a day on their smartphones. ***

81% Consumers aged 35-44 own tablets or iPad. ****

Smartphones are currently used to connect with everything and everyone, and consumers who own both smartphone and tablets certainly don’t seem to spend less time using their smartphones. This indicates that tablets complement smartphones, and it would seem in fact, that owning both devices seems to increase the time the user spends online, not reduce it.

Email and searching for information online are the most popular activities to perform on tablets at least once a day. While the tablet may not be fully mobile, it’s trending toward becoming the tablet owners’ preferred method of accessing information online.

Blogging and social activities bring mobile visitors.

A study cites that 55% of social media consumption happens on a mobile device. *****

If you are sharing information links on your social media account and your website is not a fully responsive website, not only you will notice high bounce rates and low conversion rates, but you are also frustrating your site visitors.

Responsive design is preferred for SEO

Google have stated that they preferred one URL, one content body, and one website for all devices. This is because it is more efficient for Google when it is crawling your website to crawl one as opposed to multiple pages.

If you are looking for a responsive website, fully compatible with iPad, Tablets and Mobile, you should consider Webshop. Contact us now to upgrade your existing website or build your new website.

One for All: Or 1 website fits all devices. In terms of updating and administrating websites, we have only one site, so the costs of labour, the layout of web content, the design reworks etc follow the most efficient website management possible.

Marketing Prioritisation: So when you have less space to play with, you tend to get more focused on the key messages that you want to get across, which means your target visitor will be happier about getting to the core of your content quicker. There is less room for waffle and ‘lazy’ marketing.

SEO: Google’s principle of better user experience driving your site rank is borne out in responsive design, we have 1 site, capturing all inbound links, changing based on the device to improve the user experience….watch your rank improve.

Value for money: Webshop responsive design is specifically built to allow regular companies create great value responsive design sites for more or less the same cost as a decent ‘PC’ only brochure site. Our techies continually study the advances in this area to allow our customers steal a competitive edge that won’t cost the earth.

Leadership Online: The market for responsive design sites has just begun, it’s your chance to lead in your market online, and let’s face it , responsive design is great for your marketing kudos!

Last week leading Irish Media Placement agency, Carat, published the results of an online survey they conducted this year. The survey’s main finding is that ‘38% of Consumers new shop online via Smartphone or Tablet’.

They state that while PCs still remain the dominant device for online shopping, the popularity of smart devices is growing year on year. 16% of adults have used a tablet to purchase online while 22% have used a smartphone. Interestingly, products which are perceived ‘complicated’ purchases, eg, Airline Tickets or Holiday Packages continue to be mainly purchased on a PC. The purchase of musical downloads, ebooks , CDs and DVDs have all increased on smart devices.

This survey is just another one of the increasing number that reveal the need for websites to be designed with responsive design at their core. Hands down, Responsive Design is the only viable option for creating one single web experience optimised for all modern devices.